Drunks Beware: Cops Will Be Out This Weekend

PORTLAND, OR — Eight law enforcement agencies from around the Portland metro area will partner this weekend for enhanced and increased DUII patrols over the Labor Day holiday. The enhanced patrols will focus specifically on drivers along highways 26 and 217 on the metro's westside.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, dozens of officers from the Beaverton, Hillsboro, North Plains, Portland, Tigard, and Oregon State police departments, and deputies from the Multnomah and Washington county sheriff's offices, will specifically watch for intoxicated drivers — under the influence of both alcohol and/or cannabis, as well as other illicit drugs.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office announced the eight-agency team-up Thursday, citing a national statistic that shows traffic fatalities increase during holiday weekends. The officers chosen to be part of this two-night mission have reportedly been trained as "drug recognition experts," WCSO officials said.

According to ValuePenguin, a personal finance consultant website, Labor Day is second only to Memorial Day as the deadliest holiday weekend for drivers in the United States, with 308 fatalities reported annually (on average between 2011 and 2015).

Incidentally, Labor Day, ValuePenguin said, falls to fourth among holidays where accidents involve drunk drivers.

Of the crashes that occurred on holidays between 2011 and 2015 that involved drunk drivers, Memorial Day was first again at 40.3 percent, Independence Day was second at 38.5 percent, Easter — of all holidays — was third at 37.4 percent, and Labor Day was fourth with 36.3 percent. New Year's Eve, perhaps surprisingly, was fifth on the list at 35.8 percent.

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Reader boards along both highways will reportedly notify commuters of increased police activity during the two-day operation.

Image via Shutterstock